Regular Cricket Is Okay. But What Is Blind Cricket?

March 5, 2017March 7, 2017 by NILAKSHI PATHAK

GK Mahantesh, Cricket Association for Blind in India (CABI) President said, “It would be great if the government and BCCI react and recognize, embrace and endorse CABI. our boys have won four championships in the last four years. It’s a huge time they respond and positively recognize this otherwise it’s a big insult to our country.”

And it’s not only the government who has failed to descry blind cricket. Even many of us are turning a blind eye to it. Try to have a discussion about blind cricket and I am sure, the first question that you will encounter will either be, “How can blind people play cricket?” or “How blind cricket is played?”. You can’t question the efficacy of blind cricket as a prove of excellent human spirit but you can surely question yours.

We all know the kind of attention that regular cricket gets but blind cricket is not even acknowledged properly, even though there is only a minute difference between them. Regular cricket is all about the eye and hand co-ordination while blind cricket is about ear and hand co-ordination. Grab at least the basic information about it to forestall ignorance in this topic.

Who Are The Players Of Blind Cricket?

On the right wrist, the B1 players wear white band, the B2 players wear the red band and the B3 players wear blue band. And this is how we recognize the players in the field.

What Kind Of Ball Is Used In Blind Cricket?

An auditory ball is used in blind cricket. These balls are larger in comparison to the ball used in regular cricket. Also, the ball is filled with ball bearing. This kind of ball act a removal of consternation for the totally blind players. Even the wickets used are special. It consists of three tubular stamps which are made up of metal and are either fluorescent orange or yellow in colour.

You can buy the ball here: https://www.blindcricket.in/buy-blind-cricket-ball/

What Are The Basic Rules Of Blind Cricket?

These are the basic rules are:

The bowling is always underarm.

The ball is not randomly thrown towards the batsman. A proper procedure has to be followed before releasing the ball. The bowler has to shout, “Ready” before releasing the ball. The batsman must respond to this by saying, “Yes”. And before actually releasing the ball, the bowler should again shout, “Play”. A ball will be considered no ball is there is a mismatch in the timings of these calls.

B1 players (totally blind players) have few special advantages:

Every run they score will be doubled before adding to the scoreboard.

The batsman will be considered out if the B1 player manages to catch the ball even after one bounce.

You can watch the video below prepared by The Quint to understand blind cricket in a better manner.

Will The Team Ever Recieve The Attention It Deserves?

The blind cricket team in India was formed in 1998. Unfortunately, till now, the team has not been afflicted to the country’s national board. The team is managed by CABI, which is an independent entity. Even after the lack of attention and funds, the team has been performing astonishing well. Our Indian Blind Cricket team believes awareness will make a difference. What do you think about it? Will BCCI recognize this cricket team anytime soon?